Roll Call: How NC members of Congress voted, week ending Sept. 27

Votes in Congress through Friday

Published: Sunday, September 29, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, September 27, 2013 at 3:52 p.m.

Here's how North Carolina members of Congress voted in the week that ended Friday, Sept. 27.

Additional votes are expected on Saturday. That information will appear in a subsequent report.

House

ARIZONA COPPER MINING, WATER SUPPLIES: Voting 191 for and 217 against, the House on Sept. 26 defeated an amendment to HR 351 to prevent any diminution in the quantity or quality of area water supplies in the event a large copper mine is developed in southeastern Arizona. The underlying bill, which remained in debate, would approve a land swap expected to clear the way for the mining of one of the world's largest known, untapped copper deposits.

Under the bill, the federal government would transfer 2,422 acres of its land to foreign-owned Resolution Copper Mining in return for 5,344 acres owned by Resolution elsewhere in Arizona. The company then would develop a mine near the town of Superior expected to yield more than one billion pounds of copper ore annually while boosting the local and state economy with thousands of jobs and tens of billions of dollars of commercial activity and tax revenues over many years. Foes say the operation would inflict environmental damage, consume scarce water supplies, desecrate tribal lands and export large quantities of strategically important U.S. copper to countries such as China.

FEDERAL HELIUM RESERVE: Voting 367 for and none against, the House on Sept. 25 passed a bill (HR 527) to avert the planned closure of the Federal Helium Reserve on Oct. 1 and keep the facility in operation through 2021. This would give private firms eight years to supplant the existing federal-private sector role in producing helium for the manufacture of products such as fiber optic cables, MRI machines, space rockets and computer chips. Located near Amarillo, Texas, the reserve supplies nearly half of the helium used domestically and one-third of global consumption. This bill, which was headed back to the Senate and then to President Obama for his expected signature, would generate about $90 million over 10 years for deficit reduction.

DEMOCRATS' 2014 STOPGAP BUDGET: Voting 54 for and 44 against, the Senate on Sept. 27 sent the House a Democratic-drafted, fiscal 2014 stopgap appropriations measure to fund the government between Oct. 1-Nov. 15 at an annual spending rate of $986 billion for discretionary domestic, military and foreign affairs programs. This presented House Republicans with a measure stripped of their bid to defund and thus kill the Obamacare health law. They faced a choice of voting to pass this measure as is and averting a government shutdown or sending a replacement bill with new contingencies to the Senate.

A yes vote was to pass the Democratic bill.

Voting yes: Democrat Kay Hagan

Voting no: Republican Richard Burr

OBAMACARE FUNDING ADVANCE: The Senate on Sept. 27 voted, 54 for and 44 against, to strip HJ Res 59 (above) of House-passed, GOP-authored language to prevent discretionary spending for the health law known as Obamacare and set priorities for paying U.S. creditors in the event that Congress fails to raise the national-debt limit and sends the country into default.

A yes vote was to fund the 2010 health law.

Voting yes: Hagan

Voting no: Burr

STOPGAP BUDGET FILIBUSTER: Voting 79 for and 19 against, the Senate on Sept. 27 overcame the 60-vote threshold needed to end a filibuster against a House-passed, Republican measure (HJ Res 59) to fund the government on a stopgap basis between Oct. 1-Dec. 15 while ending discretionary spending for the 2010 health law known as Obamacare. This advanced the bill toward further debate and final passage (above).

A yes vote was to end a filibuster against the House-passed, GOP bill.

Voting yes: Hagan, Burr

TED CRUZ TALKATHON: The Senate agreed, 100 for and none against, to move to consideration of HJ Res 59 (above). This vote occurred after Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, talked on the floor for 21 consecutive hours to postpone action on the measure. He then joined his 99 colleagues in voting to advance the bill he had been delaying.

A yes vote was to proceed to debate the continuing resolution.

Voting yes: Hagan, Burr

A look ahead

In the week of Sept. 30, both chambers will continue to debate a stopgap budget to keep the government fully in operation beyond Sept. 30. The House may take up an extension of the national-debt limit contingent on the administration accepting several GOP policy changes.

<p>Here's how North Carolina members of Congress voted in the week that ended Friday, Sept. 27. </p><p>Additional votes are expected on Saturday. That information will appear in a subsequent report.</p><p><b>House</b></p><p>ARIZONA COPPER MINING, WATER SUPPLIES: Voting 191 for and 217 against, the House on Sept. 26 defeated an amendment to HR 351 to prevent any diminution in the quantity or quality of area water supplies in the event a large copper mine is developed in southeastern Arizona. The underlying bill, which remained in debate, would approve a land swap expected to clear the way for the mining of one of the world's largest known, untapped copper deposits.</p><p>Under the bill, the federal government would transfer 2,422 acres of its land to foreign-owned Resolution Copper Mining in return for 5,344 acres owned by Resolution elsewhere in Arizona. The company then would develop a mine near the town of Superior expected to yield more than one billion pounds of copper ore annually while boosting the local and state economy with thousands of jobs and tens of billions of dollars of commercial activity and tax revenues over many years. Foes say the operation would inflict environmental damage, consume scarce water supplies, desecrate tribal lands and export large quantities of strategically important U.S. copper to countries such as China.</p><p>A yes vote backed the amendment.</p><p>Voting yes: Democrats G.K. Butterfield, David Price, Mike McIntyre and Melvin Watt, and Republican Walter Jones</p><p>Voting no: Republicans Renee Ellmers, Virginia Foxx, Howard Coble, Richard Hudson, Robert Pittenger, Patrick McHenry, Mark Meadows and George Holding </p><p>FEDERAL HELIUM RESERVE: Voting 367 for and none against, the House on Sept. 25 passed a bill (HR 527) to avert the planned closure of the Federal Helium Reserve on Oct. 1 and keep the facility in operation through 2021. This would give private firms eight years to supplant the existing federal-private sector role in producing helium for the manufacture of products such as fiber optic cables, MRI machines, space rockets and computer chips. Located near Amarillo, Texas, the reserve supplies nearly half of the helium used domestically and one-third of global consumption. This bill, which was headed back to the Senate and then to President Obama for his expected signature, would generate about $90 million over 10 years for deficit reduction.</p><p>A yes vote was to pass the bill.</p><p>Voting yes: Butterfield, Ellmers, Jones, Price, Foxx, Coble, McIntyre, Hudson, Pittenger, McHenry, Meadows, Watt, Holding </p><p><b>Senate</b></p><p>DEMOCRATS' 2014 STOPGAP BUDGET: Voting 54 for and 44 against, the Senate on Sept. 27 sent the House a Democratic-drafted, fiscal 2014 stopgap appropriations measure to fund the government between Oct. 1-Nov. 15 at an annual spending rate of $986 billion for discretionary domestic, military and foreign affairs programs. This presented House Republicans with a measure stripped of their bid to defund and thus kill the Obamacare health law. They faced a choice of voting to pass this measure as is and averting a government shutdown or sending a replacement bill with new contingencies to the Senate.</p><p>A yes vote was to pass the Democratic bill.</p><p>Voting yes: Democrat Kay Hagan</p><p>Voting no: Republican Richard Burr</p><p>OBAMACARE FUNDING ADVANCE: The Senate on Sept. 27 voted, 54 for and 44 against, to strip HJ Res 59 (above) of House-passed, GOP-authored language to prevent discretionary spending for the health law known as Obamacare and set priorities for paying U.S. creditors in the event that Congress fails to raise the national-debt limit and sends the country into default.</p><p>A yes vote was to fund the 2010 health law.</p><p>Voting yes: Hagan </p><p>Voting no: Burr </p><p>STOPGAP BUDGET FILIBUSTER: Voting 79 for and 19 against, the Senate on Sept. 27 overcame the 60-vote threshold needed to end a filibuster against a House-passed, Republican measure (HJ Res 59) to fund the government on a stopgap basis between Oct. 1-Dec. 15 while ending discretionary spending for the 2010 health law known as Obamacare. This advanced the bill toward further debate and final passage (above).</p><p>A yes vote was to end a filibuster against the House-passed, GOP bill.</p><p>Voting yes: Hagan, Burr </p><p>TED CRUZ TALKATHON: The Senate agreed, 100 for and none against, to move to consideration of HJ Res 59 (above). This vote occurred after Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, talked on the floor for 21 consecutive hours to postpone action on the measure. He then joined his 99 colleagues in voting to advance the bill he had been delaying.</p><p>A yes vote was to proceed to debate the continuing resolution.</p><p>Voting yes: Hagan, Burr </p><p><b>A look ahead</b></p><p>In the week of Sept. 30, both chambers will continue to debate a stopgap budget to keep the government fully in operation beyond Sept. 30. The House may take up an extension of the national-debt limit contingent on the administration accepting several GOP policy changes.</p>